Russia’s Gazprom says Bovanenkovo airport partially reopens

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Russian gas giant Gazprom is seen on a board at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia, June 6, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s Gazprom (GAZP.MM) said on Tuesday that the Bovanenkovo airport, shut due to a coronavirus scare, has partially resumed operations to handle industrial cargoes and food, though there are no plans to rotate staff at the gas field.

The airport was shut last week when 20 workers at the giant Bovanenkovo gas field were isolated as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus.

Tests came back negative.

Gas production at the field, a key source of wider Russian gas supplies to Europe including via the Nord Stream undersea pipeline, has been unaffected.

The company has extended the current shift at local fields until at least mid-May, while the Bovanenkovo airport was initially shut until March 31. Those workers who were supposed to fly to the field at the end of March, will stay at home.

The number of coronavirus cases in Russia jumped to 2,337 on Tuesday, an increase of 500, as the country recorded its biggest daily rise for the seventh day in a row.